The Lord's Prayer - Part 6

“And do not bring us into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:13

Jesus knelt in the garden of Gethsemane and prayed fervently until blood mingled with the sweat on his brow. He knew what the coming day would bring. It was the crux of his mission to earth; the very reason he had entered the world he created. He had been born to die. And yet he prayed to the Father that, if it was possible, the cup of coming wrath be taken from him. He knew his role. He knew that bearing the wrath of the Father was the only way to reconcile humanity to himself. And he was faithful, ending his prayer with, “not my will, but yours be done.” But Jesus did not long for the trial, and he made his desires plain in his prayer.

It is important to understand that the word “temptation” in the Lord’s Prayer means “trial,” not “enticement to sin.” This is to clear up any wayward notion of the Lord dangling sins before us like a cruel boy taunting a dog with a piece of meat off the dinner table. (c.f. James 1:13) However, there are instances where God will allow His children to be tested for their growth and, ultimately, their hope. (c.f. Romans 5:3-4. The book of Job also gives us an example of God allowing, but not causing, the testing of someone He loves.)

In fact, Jesus guarantees his followers that they will experience trials! So why would Jesus instruct us to pray against an inevitability?

Here are a few answers:

1. This verse comes on the heels of the confession and repentance of “forgive us our debts.” (v. 12) It is natural to pray for future strength after coming before the Lord receive grace for past sins.

2. It is a reminder not to rely on our own strength. Daily recitation of this plea for help will dissuade us from becoming over-confident in our abilities to withstand attacks from the evil one.

3. We should not desire trials. They will come, but we need not seek them out. We prepare, and when they arrive, we boast in the strength of the Lord, like Paul in 2 Cor. 12. Even our Savior, in his sinless perfection, did not crave the cup of his final task. He did not pray for it to come; he prayed to the point of blood that it might pass him by. And in the end, he submitted to the will of the Father, and completed the perfect plan of redemption.

I am not comparing our daily trials to the ultimate sacrifice of King Jesus. That would be like comparing a timeout chair to an electric chair. Jesus was not tested for his refinement as we are, and there was never a question of his completion of the task. He was and is the only instance of perfection humanity has ever seen. However, we can look to his example in prayer as we try to align our fragile hearts to the Lord’s will.

Believer, as you bring your desires before the Lord today, remember that He loves you. Remember the example and sacrifice of Jesus. Remember that God’s perfect will works for your good. And remember that when trials come, it is His strength that will sustain you until the day He calls you to your eternal home.

Author’s note: proper exploration of this verse requires more than a two-minute meditation. The points I have made are the ones I find to be most helpful, but they are far from comprehensive. In fact, I think they may have raised just as many new questions as they have answered old ones. I drew much inspiration for this installment from a sermon given by Charles Spurgeon, aptly titled, “Lead us not into temptation.” In it, he goes into far more detail about the implications of this verse and offers several practical solutions for a response. Click here to read it if you want to dig in a little more.